Dan Yemin (Paint It Black)

Philadelphia-based hardcore unit Paint It Black have been creating music since the early 2000s, when they released their debut album CVA. Two LPs later, the band (fronted by vocalist Dan Yemin of Kid Dynamite and Lifetime fame) are now busy flexing their EP muscles. They released Amnesia on June 16 via Bridge 9 Records and will follow it up with a second EP, Surrender on August 18 via Fat Wreck Chords. Both EPs come in the form of 7" vinyl, focusing on the roots of the band's passion. The band will hit the road with Naked Raygun this September to support the efforts. Punknews.org interviewer Laila Hanson was able to sit down for a phone interview with Yemin on July 20.

Benny Horowitz (The Gaslight Anthem)

Gaslight Anthem's first two full-length albums and one EP have garnered praise and adulation from nearly all corners and critics. This summer they're busy headlining tours in the US, as well as playing a handful of festivals. Rob Inderrieden had the chance to sit down with drummer Benny Horrowitz at the Southside Festival in Southern Germany and talk about the whirlwind that has been their career, what he simply can't live without and what fans can expect from them in the future.

Frank Turner: Part 1

There are two important things to note about Frank Turner. One, he's really good. Two, he really likes to talk. Luckily for myself (Frank Corva), and you - the reader, the stuff he likes to talk about is really awesome. In this, Part 1, of our interview, we discussed his love for the US punk scene, why writing songs that everyone likes is cool and what it means to grow out of your angst ridden teen years and to shed the cloak of anger come your mid-twenties. We also touched upon his Middle Eastern roots as well as the commonalities of punk rock and Catholicism. Read on and enjoy, the man has a plethora of genuine insight.

Turner's debut Love, Ire and Song is being re-released in North America by Epitaph Records. Meanwhile, its followup, Poetry of the Deed is due on the same label in September.

P-Boy (New Lows)

New Lows is a Massachusetts-based hardcore band that recently signed to Deathwish, Inc. This interview was conducted between Scott Brown and New Lows vocalist P-Boy as the band prepares for its second appearance at Sound and Fury.

Apologies, I Have None

London's Apologies, I Have None may be unsigned, but the folk-punk duo have been generating quite a bit of buzz with their new EP Two Sticks + Six Strings. They will be touring the UK later this summer, but in the meantime you can check out this interview between the band and Punknews.org interviewer Zack Shapiro.

Jay Pepito (Reign Supreme)

Reign Supreme is hardcore band from Philadelphia, PA. The band most recently released Testing the Limits of Infinite on Deathwish, Inc. and will be embarking on a US tour with Shai Hulud and The Carrier starting July 18 in Haverill, MA. They will be making their second appearance at Sound and Fury, which runs from July 31-August 2. This interview is between Scott Brown and Reigh Supreme vocalist, Jay Pepito.

Penny Rimbaud (Crass)

Ever since I first heard Crass I try to incorporate them into anything I write, even if it's just a name drop. I'm serious about this; just do a search on the internet, and you'll find that I even incorporated their name in a piece I wrote involving Katy Perry. They're that great.

For those of you who are new to the name, Crass were one of the many anarcho-punk bands springing up in the UK in the eighties, and probably the most important one. They were truly a political machine who meticulously thought out every action in their relatively short-lived life together as a band. So, when I was granted an interview with Penny Rimbaud (drums), I felt truly honored.

When I actually spoke to him, Penny sounded like a calm, friendly, articulate, and very forward thinking individual, which made learning of the impending doom facing Dial House (the farm/commune the band lived in, and where Penny still lives) and the Crass catalog a little harder to deal with. What follows is the transcript of the chat I had with Penny last Sunday.

Trapped Under Ice

With Sound and Fury Festival set to kick off on July 31 in Oxnard, California, Punknews is pleased to spotlight some of the many bands that will be featured over the three day event. Up first is Baltimore, Maryland's Trapped Under Ice who are about to release Secrets of the World this summer on Reaper Records.

Good Old War

Good Old War haven't been a band for too long, but the four-piece has been stirring up quite a bit of buzz since the release of their debut album, Only Way to Be Alone. Punknews interviewer Zack Shapiro saw the band perform recently at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ where he had a chance to have a short chat with the band.

Jesse Michaels (Classics of Love)

When I first started getting heavily into punk around 9th grade, Operation Ivy was one of the first bands to really resonate with me. Their simple message of individualism, unity, and nonconformity was uncompromising, but never without a glimmer of hope hidden beneath. Years later I heard my first taste of Common Rider and was blown away to find out it was the same singer as Operation Ivy, Jesse Michaels. Since then, I have collected every piece of music he has done, from Operation Ivy bootlegs to the four-song Big Rig EP, to Common Rider and beyond. When I heard Jesse Michaels and his new band Classics of Love was coming to Minneapolis, I jumped at the chance to interview him and could not be happier with meeting him and finding out more about his life and projects. In a 2003 interview, Michaels said of the late Joe Strummer, "I was lucky enough to meet him and he was everything one would hope for in somebody they looked up to." Now I can say the same of Jesse Michaels.

Mike Gallagher (Isis)

Isis recently wrapped up a Canadian tour in support of their latest album, Wavering Radiant. While on the road, guitarist Mike Gallagher checked in with our own Sarah El-Hamzawi to discuss a variety of topics.